This story had an interesting concept with a promising premise; the cover really drew me in. I previously didn’t know anything about Tasmanian devils, so it was interesting to learn a bit more about them. I also liked the theme of theater/acting and the sections of the books being separated into acts. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get invested in this book for several reasons.

My main issue was being told every piece of information rather than being shown through characters’ actions and dialogues. For me, this writing style became monotonous and took away the majority of the mystery. Instead of there being a sense of mystique to what’s happening, everything is just flat out told to the reader. This combined with the lengthy—and largely unnecessary—info dumps about the characters and their pasts (i.e. Brooke's ex, Brooke and Jane's extensive acting histories, etc.) littered throughout kept pulling me out of the story, so there was never a true sense of fear or anxiety for the characters and what they were going through.

Brooke and Kerry were pretty uninteresting characters overall; the only one who had a distinctive personality was Jane. Besides her and maybe Bryan, I kept having to pause and remember which side character was which, something that also made it hard to immerse in the story.

And this is just a small thing I noticed, but I honestly feel like the animosity all of the Australian characters showed towards Americans was a tad overkill. As an American, I'm all for some America-bashing, and it was funny initially, but it just kept happening over and over to the point where I was left wondering... what does this add to the story?

"She only hopes they are not as loud as the Americans on the last trip..."

"She turns around when she hears one of the Americans making a fuss about something..."

"Brooke opens her mouth again, as if to argue the point—Americans always have to be right about everything, don't they?—and Kerry cuts her off...

"'Is American television really this absurd?'"

"Americans live on their phones, and she remembers that one of the first things Jane asked in Triabunna was whether she'd get any cell coverage..."

"'Americans. They always talk twice too fast and listen half too slow.'"

"'You bloody Americans,'" Margaret says at last. "'You really do think the world revolves around you.'"

Like, they're not wrong, and I'm not actually offended or anything—the sheer amount of comments like this was just a bit off-putting. Maybe Americans weren't the authors' target audience?

While the story had potential, I feel the execution would've been better had the writing been more show instead of tell, had the characters been given unique quirks/qualities that made them more distinctive from one another, and had their backstories only been included to provide relevant and interesting information about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for generously providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn't this supposed to be a thriller? Bc it wasn't. While the story flowed and was well written in terms of the setting and scenery, the characters fell flat and the story was frankly boring. I wanted more thrills. Wanted more mystery. Wanted more. Unfortunately I didn't get it.

"Devil's Island," by Midge Raymond, is quite an exciting murder mystery.

The setting of the book is marvelous. I love wildlife. I was unaware of the plight of the Tasmanian Devils until I read the back of this book, but I am grateful for the information and how it entered into the storyline. Though the island and town in the book are fictitious names, they are different names for the real place.

The characters of the story are well-written. You find yourself caring about what happens to each character along the way. You will love some characters while loving to hate others. The ties that bind the main characters of Jane and Brooke are what life is like for many co-dependent people. I love the intricacies of their relationship. They have a tremendous bond, but it is a dangerous one.

Murder mysteries are great. Murder mysteries are better when they start with a missing person and a plot for revenge. There were twists and turns adding up to a better murder mystery. I love the questions that you ask yourself while reading the book. The island was supposed to be a refuge for the Tasmanian Devil, but then you find out what they do by eating the eggs of the geese and have to ask yourself if they did the right thing in placing the devils there. This book makes you think about more than a murder while embroiled in the mystery.

This goes to show you how little people know themselves. So many people want to go off the grid and when these people end up in survival mode, they can't wait to get back to civilization and their social media. This brought much realism to a fictional murder mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves murder mysteries, but also to those who love conservation, Australian history, missing persons stories, revenge plots, and stories about the lines connecting different types of friendships and relationships.

I love learning about the Tasmanian devils and their plight. I also liked the fact that an American author chose to set their novel in Australia and on one of it’s remote island.
The setting, the sites and smells was well written and I felt I was there on the adventure as part of the tour.
The plot offered a lot of promise and I kept reading to find out what happened.
I really didn’t like the characters and at one point, I was hoping they were all going to die.
I also didn’t like the constant memories and back stories to each character. This became annoying and it was more telling than showing.

This was a great book. I loved this story and all of the twists and turns. In addition to it being a good mystery. I also learned a lot about the Tasmanian Devil and other animals from that area of our world. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery to read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an advance copy for review. I really liked this book, it was full of unexpected twists and good characters. The premise was solid and kept me guessing who was responsible for the calamity that happened while on their hike. I also enjoyed learning about the Tasmanian Devils that live in the island.

Not sure if this is a thriller or a soft horror read. Psychological is another word I'd use. Nor am I sure the main character is anyone I'd like to meet. She seems morally challenged and not about to grow much. This book left me vaguely unsatisfied.

Thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

This was an intriguing multiple POV thriller that was a great beach read for me while I was on vacation. I learned a lot about the Tasmanian Devil, the now extinct Tasmanian tiger and other Australian wildlife; inclusions that I found to be very interesting and added to the Australian flavor of the book. The mystery kept me going and multiple deaths kept the story moving. However, I thought the inclusion of one the of POVs late in the book should have been done earlier to strengthen the story and the ending did not wrap up in the most logical manner. I think more connections needed to be made for it all to work. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, characters and overall story. Would recommend for someone looking for a light travel thriller.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Jane and Brooke meet up to participate in a tour of Devil's Island off the coast of Tasmania. They are both Americans, Jane is an actress and Brooke is a ‘retired” actress. She married and moved to Seattle, far away from Jane. Jane is loud, brassy and opinionated. Brooke is unsure of herself and somewhat timid. Why are these two such close friends?

I had a hard time getting a grasp on Brooke at first. While she seemed timid, she was sure forward when it came to some situations.

Kerry is the (very) reluctant tour guide for the six people in the group. For several years, she has been obsessed with saving the Tasmanian Devil. Disease has devastated the population and Kerry is taking it very hard. She loves her Tassies. Her partner tour guide Bryan appears to be practically useless. Kerry is feeling stressed out.

In addition to the two Americans, there are four Australians who all know one another. They are a somewhat motley group. A bird watcher and his wife seem pretty self-important. A reality show executive and his wife are odd.

Jane fails to tell Brooke that she knows the reality show mogul. She knows him very well and has a plan.

The murders begin….and a bad storm is on its way.

I’m a sucker for locked room-type mysteries. A small group of people, no way to escape and a killer is in their midst. I really enjoy putting my mind to solving the mystery before the end of the book. This book fulfills my recent addiction to this type of story. I also liked the inclusion of the Tasmanian Devils in the story. I am aware of their endangered status and the disease that threatens to decimate them.

However, some of the characters were not very well developed. The main protagonists seemed inconsistent in their actions according to the information given about their personalities. I can’t imagine how Kerry got a position as a tour guide. She had so many personal problems. I had no idea how Brooke and Jane became friends. Jane needed someone to abuse? The rest of the members of the party were superficial and seemed superfluous to the story itself.

There are more than a few twists in this book. I enjoyed being surprised.

I want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Oceanview publishing for allowing me to read the Arc. I really liked the information about Tasmanian devils and the surrounding environment. I felt the plot had promise, and I always enjoy an “isolated” mystery/thriller. The story is told by 3 different viewpoints and I enjoyed these perspectives. However, I felt that there was repetitive backstories given by each of these characters, and it dragged and took away from the pacing of the story. There was also a second plot thrown in, and seemed rushed in the end. I liked the character of Kelly. But found Jane and Brook to be a little over the top. They seemed to play off each other in an unhealthy way, and I felt the ending was unrealistic, contrived, and unsatisfactory with no consequences or growth in Brook’s character. I feel if the book was tightened up, and the resolution examined and readdressed, it would be a five star read!

The book is set in Australia. Six tourists go on an isolated Devil’s island. It is known for its wildlife and Tasmanian Devil. The blurb intrigued me. Brooke has separated from her husband William so she shares her story and she meets her friend Jane after years of estrangement. The strange things begins to happens on the island and the more shocking thing is that one of the guest disappears and one of the guest is found dead. Brooke is trying to get to the bottom of the mystery but it all seems to be messed up and terrifying. Will she get to the bottom of the mystery? Or she will get tangled in it? Will she be able to find her way back?

Many Thanks to Author, Publisher and Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book was a bit full of surprises. I enjoyed the general theme of the book and overall it was quite good. Some adventure with some thriller thrown in.
Definitely some major surprises, especially towards the end.
Lots of good research done by the author on the animals on the island as well and information on the Tasmanian Devils that I never would have known till reading this book.
Some of the back and forth timelines and different narrators can be a bit confusing but it works.

This is an interesting thriller that adds in details about Tasmanian devils. The scenery and the story are compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this ARC.

Australia is known for its gigantic spiders, curious kangaroos, and the notorious Tasmanian Devil, so when I saw that this thriller was set in the Land Down Under, I was instantly intrigued. Joining a group of six tourists as they hike and explore the isolated Devil's Island, the reader gets a front-seat view of the relationship drama and messy politics of all six guests. Among the guests are Brooke and Jane, former college BFFs. Brooke has just left her husband and quickly discovers that Jane's invite comes with strings and ulterior motives. Things only escalate from there as a storm rolls in and guests begin to go missing.

This book was fast-paced and packed with adventure, plot twists, and juicy revelations. As I was reading, I kept going back and forth, trying to solve the island's mysteries: were Tasmanian Devils ultimately responsible for the death and destruction, did a rogue poacher infiltrate the group, or did something more sinister lurk among the tents? Devil's Island will keep you guessing until the very end.

Some interesting information about Tasmanian devils and the environment surrounding them. The plot was suspenseful and the different viewpoints gave interest to the reader but some of the characters were to unbelievable to me and the amount of deeds they got away with was too unrealistic for me.

Loved this great thriller!

Devil's Island is located near main island Australia. Kerry is a new guide working hard under the a shadow of guilt due the fact that her recent guide partner is in the hospital recovering from a dangerous snake bite. Burdened with a sub guide more interested in flirting and drinking, Kerry is frantic to save her job and move the current 6 guests through a wildlife tour featuring many unique animals included the endangered Tasmanian Devils.

Part of the group of 6 tourists, Brooke and Jane are former college besties. Jane has gifted the Brooke the tour but she finds out quickly that there are strings attached. Jane seems to thrive on chaos and it keeps the trip interesting until she doesn't turn up for breakfast.

With bad weather closing in and potentially dangerous animals, Kerry has to hold the group together until help arrives. The problem is that she isn't sure who is out there in the wilderness, if they mean the group harm, and if help with arrive on time! Loved this story even though they did insult Americans as a whole many 3 times too many :). If you love an adventure, bad weather and missing persons, this is a great book for you!
#Ocenviewpublishing #devilsisland #midgeryamond #johnyunker